Big Game with 300win mag vs 300 wsm? 338 win mag?

bearkilr said:
Really? The 9.3 can't top the 338 in velocities or energy. Check the numbers. And please compare equal weight bullets.
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I was actually referring to hole size but I'm still confused by your statement. How does the 338 fit in between the 9.3 and the 375 in any category?
 
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It's amazing that thousands of bison fell to old 45/70 s shooting hunks of lead propelled by black powder at sometimes great distances and yet with all of the modern technology available today we need fast magnums of at least 30 cal for anything bigger than a cotton tail rabbit

The difference between a 180 gr 30/06 and a 180gr 300 Wm is often 200 fps. Potentially more if you hand load. Now what animal can tell the difference in head stamps?

Personally on bison if I ever had the chance to hunt one I'd bring my 458wm simply because I love the gun and it leaves no question about its ability to let the light in. However a 300 Wm with appropriate bullets will surely do the deed as will your 30/06
As you've chosen the 338 buy a few brands and weights to find out what the gun likes. Choose the most accurate of the appropriate bullet construction for the desired game you intend to hunt and fire off the rest off to get used to the rifle

Best of luck
 
A few years back when my wife and I were leaving Whitehorse, a herd of bison stopped traffic on the Alaska Highway. A gigantic bull, which simply dwarfed the others, strolled across the road directly in front of us, and I was utterly impressed. I said right then if I ever have a chance to hunt one of these things it will be with my .375 loaded with 380s. This guy's coat had a grey sheen to it, his eye was as large as the base of a big coffee mug, and when he stepped over the concrete highway barrier, he didn't break stride. I bet the top of his hump was 7' off the deck, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he weighed 2500 pounds. He was far more impressive to look at then my African buffalo. To come across him on a narrow bison trail in the thick stuff, would certainly be a memorable experience.
 
brybenn said:
It's amazing that thousands of bison fell to old 45/70 s shooting hunks of lead propelled by black powder at sometimes great distances and yet with all of the modern technology available today we need fast magnums of at least 30 cal for anything bigger than a cotton tail rabbit

The difference between a 180 gr 30/06 and a 180gr 300 Wm is often 200 fps. Potentially more if you hand load. Now what animal can tell the difference in head stamps?

Personally on bison if I ever had the chance to hunt one I'd bring my 458wm simply because I love the gun and it leaves no question about its ability to let the light in. However a 300 Wm with appropriate bullets will surely do the deed as will your 30/06
As you've chosen the 338 buy a few brands and weights to find out what the gun likes. Choose the most accurate of the appropriate bullet construction for the desired game you intend to hunt and fire off the rest off to get used to the rifle

Best of luck
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Don't tell Lou that. The 45-70 was a military cartridge and according to him all military cartridges require multiple hit at 100 yards to fell a moose. :p
 
bearkilr said:
Is that right,eh?
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So how does the 338 fit between the 9.3 and 375 in your mind? I'd agree the 9.3 outperforms the 338.....you seem too be indicating the same thing. The 375 outperforms the 9.3. Wouldn't that put the 9.3 between the 338 and the 375...both hole size and performance wise? Some days you are very hard to follow. Please explain.
 
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Boomer said:
A few years back when my wife and I were leaving Whitehorse, a herd of bison stopped traffic on the Alaska Highway. A gigantic bull, which simply dwarfed the others, strolled across the road directly in front of us, and I was utterly impressed. I said right then if I ever have a chance to hunt one of these things it will be with my .375 loaded with 380s. This guy's coat had a grey sheen to it, his eye was as large as the base of a big coffee mug, and when he stepped over the concrete highway barrier, he didn't break stride. I bet the top of his hump was 7' off the deck, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he weighed 2500 pounds. He was far more impressive to look at then my African buffalo. To come across him on a narrow bison trail in the thick stuff, would certainly be a memorable experience.
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It's funny how we need a 375 minimum for buffalo, but a 30-06 is fine for bison. :)
 
sheephunter said:
So how does the 338 fit between the 9.3 and 375 in your mind? I'd agree the 9.3 outperforms the 338.....you seem too be indicating the same thing. The 375 outperforms the 9.3. Wouldn't that put the 9.3 between the 338 and the 375...both hole size and performance wise? Some days you are very hard to follow. Please explain.
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This is what I wrote. I didn't think it was that hard to follow?

bearkilr said:
The 9.3 can't top the 338 in velocities or energy. Check the numbers. And please compare equal weight bullets.
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Comparing equal bullet weights of very different calibres typically handcuffs one down to the level of the other....it really proves nothing. It was a bit hard to follow. I'll stick with my original analogy but thanks for the explanation.
 
sheephunter said:
Comparing equal bullet weights of very different calibres typically handcuffs one down to the level of the other....it really proves nothing. It was a bit hard to follow. I'll stick with my original analogy but thanks for the explanation.
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Right, generally the larger bore comes out ahead with equal bullet weights. Is that the case here? No, so be my guest and compare whatever bullet weights you like, just don't use the 9.3 with 232gr vs the 338WM with 300gr to skew the numbers. ;)
 
Gentlemen my 9.3 exceeds both the 338 and 375 by a considerable margin..........;);)..........just thought I would throw that out there just to throw a screw into the argument..........
 
c-fbmi said:
Gentlemen my 9.3 exceeds both the 338 and 375 by a considerable margin..........;);)..........just thought I would throw that out there just to throw a screw into the argument..........
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All of my posts contain an implied exemption for what goes on in the Douglas Laboratory!
 
:ang3
Throttle_monkey1 said:
Don't tell Lou that. The 45-70 was a military cartridge and according to him all military cartridges require multiple hit at 100 yards to fell a moose. :p
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I was told once ,in all sincerity,that a 45-70 can kill as far as the horizon f:P:2: and leave me outa this (OK you're right 30-06 for everything) we're talking about real cartridges now.By the way our ancestors killed with sticks and stones if you want to go back to that. I like the hey "it worked for years" why not now logic but I'm waiting for the plasma rifle to come out.:ang3
 
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Duly noted for the future Sheep..........in all seriousness to the OP, I have used all three of the cartridges in question and have found the 300 WM to be the best all around by a significant margin. The 338 will do absolutely nothing that a 300 WM won't do with 200-225 gn bullets and the 300 WSM shines only in an ultra light SA rifle using light to medium bullets. The 300 WSM falls out of the race as soon as 180 gn + bullets are introduced. I load my 300 WSM with 150 gn TTSX and it is perfect for the intended use of the rifle, which is a specific niche of sheep and goat hunting and it's in a 5 lb 15 oz (all up, scope, sling and ammo on board) titanium actioned rifle.
The 300 WM can be used for all NA big game and only falls a touch light for the monster bears, but still very useable with back up. I guess the same could be said for the 338 WM but the 300 will outshine and out shoot it in the mountains and when ranges can get out there like sheep, goats and antelope. Just my humble opinion from the experiences I have had.
 
The Scandinavian countries are fond of the 6.5x55 for Moose, IIRC. Seems a projectile that's smaller than .30cal works over there. Is it because their Moose are smaller than ours, or because of the shot placement requirement for hunters that was mentioned above?
 
Melnibonean said:
The Scandinavian countries are fond of the 6.5x55 for Moose, IIRC. Seems a projectile that's smaller than .30cal works over there. Is it because their Moose are smaller than ours, or because of the shot placement requirement for hunters that was mentioned above?
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I just looked up the regulations for calibers in Sweden for Hunting moose .The 6.5x55 is the minimum caliber on the go list (military surplus).But there are alot better choices on the list for sure.Sorry woodchopper but I can't let it go:nest:
 
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